Confessing in alphabetical order: LETTERS The Editor Writing in ancient times: The emerging Hebrew alphabet and Israelite literary activity Why the Psalmist omitted the vav (and concluced with peh): The secret of the ATBaSH acrostic Saul Leeman Inscribing the alphabet on gravestones: Alphabet inscriptions on ancient Jewish graves and their meaning Alice J. Bij de Vaate Why the foot of gimmel is turned towards daled; and other interesting tidbits How Jewish children were taught the Hebrew alphabet in rabbinic times. Abraham Cohen Discovering the secrets behind the letters: Gematria: the numerical value of words and the meanings they reveal Hebrew Letters in Jewish Art: An introduction Ida Huberman Interlaces and grotesques at the nib of his pen: The art of Hebrew micrography — minute writing in shapes Leila Avrin Eagles and pear trees, pigeons and galoshes: Yiddish alphabet songs for the young and the poor Ruth Rubin The most popular of Yiddish songs — Der alef-beyz (The aleph-bet) a.k.a.Oyfn pripetshok (On the Hearth) — with RealAudio Ruth Rubin The Tale of the Scribe: a short story by S.Y. Agnon: Raphael writes a Torah scroll in memory of his beloved wife Intro. by Alan Mintz and Anne Golomb Hoffma Letters that make you wise: Hebrew rootword lesson: Aleph-vav-tav Joseph Lowin